: Numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes involve the transport of water across cell membranes. The molecular identity of water transporters became known with discovery of the aquaporin family of membrane water channels. Four of the ten known mammalian aquaporins are expressed in anterior segment of eye. This application addresses the molecular mechanisms regulating function of human AQPO, AQP1, AQP3, and AQP5 and dysfunction of these proteins in clinical disorders of eye. Aim I. Analysis of aquaporin proteins in normal human eye. New reagents will be prepared including plasmids encoding wild-type, site-directed mutant, and epitope-tagged human AQPO, AQP1, AQP3, and AQP5. Antibodies specific for the N- and C-termini of the human proteins will be raised in rabbits and affinity-purified. The biophysical functions of human aquaporins will be expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and analyzed at baseline and after activation. Human aquaporins will be expressed in yeast and purified for reconstitution into proteoliposomes for permeation studies, into planar bilayers for analysis of electrophysiological properties, and into membrane crystals for structural studies. The distribution of these aquaporins will be defined in normal human eye. Aim II. Analysis of aquaporin proteins in clinical disorders of eye. The distribution of human aquaporins will be defined in tissues from patients with cataract or Sjogren's syndrome. Basic mechanisms by which AQPO and AQP5 may contribute to these disorders will be sought including defects in water and solute permeation, membrane trafficking, subunit oligomerization, and internalization, Physiological deficits will also be evaluated in rodent models of AQPO degradation and AQP5 deficiency.